The Livingston native made her stage debut at 6 with Staten Island's now-defunct Civic Theater and racked up local credits through high school. But when the time came to shop colleges, Horowitz thought liberal arts and engineering would be the better way to go.

"As a kid I dreamed of being on Broadway, but when I got older I didn't think it was a practical career choice," said the 24-year-old star of "Emma," premiering this week as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival.

Photo courtesy of Springer AssociatesLeah Horowitz stars as the title character in "Emma."

The new original musical by Joel Adlen is based on Jane Austen's celebrated novel about matchmaker Emma Woodhouse (Horowitz), whose scheme to hook-up her awkward protege backfires in beautiful ways.

In a twist of fate, it was Horowitz's mom, Christine Horowitz, who played matchmaker for her daughter and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

Her father, Marc Horowitz, was a professional musician who graced the pit of several Broadway shows. Her mom designed costumes for local theater productions.

With their encouragement, she applied and was accepted, said Horowitz, laughing. "So I got it in my brain that someone thinks I can do this."

She earned her bachelor of fine arts from Tisch and by age 22 had landed her first Broadway gig. Two years later, her Broadway credits include understudy and ensemble roles "The Woman in White," "Fiddler on the Roof" and "La Cage Aux Folles."

On Oct. 25, her leading lady fantasy becomes a delicious reality when she takes over the role of Cosette in "Les Miserables." Still, it's roles like the one she's creating in "Emma" -- running through Sunday at Manhattan's Acorn Theatre -- that gives her great joy.

"My favorite thing to do is originate a role," said Horowitz, who has originated a number of new roles, often for no pay. "There's more freedom. It's so fulfilling. I love this character."

The musical, she says, stays true to Austen's book and adds some light operatic music to a "fun and witty" script.

So this week, Horowitz is keeping her focus to "Emma." Next week, she starts rehearsals for Cosette, a role she also played in a regional theater production in St. Louis this summer.

Before her current wave of success, she pounded the pavement like countless other theater hopefuls, logging loads of auditions, often landing in the final two only to see the part go to the "other girl."

"On those days, I think, 'I should have been a doctor,'" quipped Horowitz, who now lives in a studio apartment she recently purchased with her earnings from performing in shows and singing commercial jingles (and there was an appearance on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" that won her $50,000).

In her quiet moments, Horowitz sometimes wonders if her singing and theatrical storytelling are important enough.

"We are in a war," she said. "People are looking for something to take their minds off things. Musicals, especially, are so uplifting. The world would be a really dark place without art, in general."

AUSTEN POWERED
Catch Leah Horowitz in the new musical "Emma" today at 4:30 and 8 p.m., tomorrow at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Acorn Theatre, 410 W. 42nd St. in Manhattan. Tickets are $20 and can be reserved by calling 212-352-3101. To hear a selection of songs from the show, visit www.NYMF.org.

The Livingston native isn't the first actress to play the matchmaking heroine. Jane Austen's book also was the inspiration for the 1996 film of the same name starring Gwyneth Paltrow; Kate Beckinsale took on the role the same year in a PBS miniseries, and the story was modernized in 1995 for the mini-classic teen flick "Clueless," starring Alicia Silverstone.